EFCC Docks Man For N3.2m Facebook Scam

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on May 22, 2019 arraigned one Abubakar Isiyaku before Justice Sa’adatu Ibrahim of the Federal High Court sitting in Kano, Kano State on a one-count charge of obtaining money by false pretence.

A statement released by the antigraft agency says Isiyaku was arrested by EFCC operatives following a petition by the nominal complainant Mohammad Adamu Babandaji, who alleged that sometimes in April 2017, he received a friend request on Facebook from the defendant who posed as a former class mate.

Babandaji innocently accepted the friend request thinking that it was his lady friend.

Subsequently, Isiyaku started making financial requests from the complainant up to the point that he asked to borrow N3,260,000 which Babandaji graciously transferred to him via his First Bank account.

Isiyaku claimed that his sister was ill and that he needed some money for treatment. After making the payment, Babandji realised that he had been duped.

The charge reads:

“That you, Abubakar Isiyaku, sometimes in March 2017, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court with intent to defraud, misrepresented yourself on Facebook as a female colleague to one Mohammed Babandaji and obtained the sum of ?3,260,000.00 (Three Million Two Hundred and Sixty Thousand Naira only) from him through the First Bank of Nigeria belonging to Aisha Mohammed under the pretence that you had family health challenges, which pretence you knew to be false, and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1(1)(a) of Advance Fee Fraud and other Fraud Related Offences Act. 2006 and punishable under section 1(3) of the same Act.”

He pleaded “not guilty” when the charge was read to him.

Prosecuting counsel, Micheal Ojo requested a date for hearing in view of the plea of the defendant.

Defence counsel, T. M. Edema, moved an application for the bail of his client.

Ojo, however, opposed the application in a seven-paragraph counter-affidavit duly deposed to by an operative of the EFCC dated May 21, 2019 praying the court to refuse the application.

After listening to the arguments, Justice Ibrahim, adjourned the case to June 13, 2019 for ruling on bail application and ordered that Isiyaku should be remanded in EFCC custody.